Profile
Gavin Tempest
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About Me:
I live with my wife and two young children by the sea (near Newcastle). I like to run, walk or bike where I can, and the occasional cold water dip/swim. I love to cook, explore new places, listen to live music and spend time with my kids (reading Harry Potter, being a dinosaur and making up new games).
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As a researcher I have been able to live and work around the world including France, Poland, Russia (Siberia in fact), USA and Australia. I like some places more than others 🙂
I am not a sprinter, but I like to plod along for long-distances. Some of my running experiences include a marathon which involved running over the Golden Gate bridge (in San Francisco), up and down the Adelaide hills and wine regions in Australia, and round&round a 2.2km loop for 6 hours!
Running helps me think more clearly, and I have developed many research questions whilst running – things to try out in the lab.
When possible, I love to listen to live music, preferably outdoors.
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My pronouns are:
Gav is fine, or he/him
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My Work:
Researcher/Teacher interested in what happens in the brain during exercise and how that makes us feel and think differently
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Not enough people are physically active (doing more than 30 mins a day most days per week)…
Some people just don’t like being active, others think being active hurts or is painful, others don’t think they have time… these are all things to consider when trying to promote physical activity.
I am particularly interested in how being active makes people feel. Sometimes being active makes us feel bad (especially if it is challenging), but we often feel good afterwards.
If we want people to be more active, we need to find the balance – as nobody whats to do things that feel bad.
Also when people are active, they tend to feel less stressed and can concentrate a bit more on daily tasks.
My work involves exploring what happens in the brain that influences the way we feel, think, and behave…
We can measure brain activity during and following physical activity using a special cap to see what happens in the brain. We ask people how they feel and provide computer games to measure their attention and concentration.
We also like to talk to people about their experiences of being active and what they think about it – this helps people find ways to be more active.
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Education:
I grew up in Billingham in Stockton-on-Tees. I attended Billingham Campus School and then Bede Sixth Form College. I knew I wanted to move away to University, so having completed college I attended Keele University in Staffordshire (about 3.5 hours drive from home). From there, I moved around for a bit doing random things (from an activity leader at an outdoor adventure centre in Southampton to a pot-washer on the Isle of Gigha, Scotland) before completing a research degree (PhD). I then lived and worked around the world before coming back to the North East.
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Qualifications:
At school, I completed 11 GCSE’s (A* to C).
At college, I completed AVCE Leisure & Recreation (BB), Psychology (B) & Human Biology (D).
At Keele University, I completed BSc(Hons) Neuroscience & Psychology (2.1) which included one-year abroad at the Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland.
At Exeter University, I started a PhD in Exercise Science. Part-way through, my supervisors relocated and I went with them. So I graduated at the University of South Australia, Adelaide, Australia.
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Work History:
When I finished my BSc(Hons), I took sometime to figure out the topic I wanted to study in a PhD. I was offered a project in Scotland, however, I knew it wasn’t the right fit. So I work for a year or so and found PhD that met both my interests in the brain and exercise.
Following my PhD, I worked as a researcher at Flinders University (Australia), Tomsk State University (Russia), University Cote d’Azur (France) & Stanford University (USA).
Throughout my studies I had lots of roles/jobs to keep the money coming in, these included: Cleaner (at the local sports centre), Optometrist Assistant, Specsavers, Lifeguard (many local pools), Bar Staff (many local bars) and jobs at Universities (scribe, cleaner, student rep etc.).
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Current Job:
Assistant Professor in Exercise Science (Teaching & Research)
I often have lots of meetings online or in-person about research ideas and problems. This is because I am working with people in the UK and abroad.
I enjoy teaching students – my favourite is during lab sessions. The students often do different exercise tasks and we talk about the current topics – like how 15-min of cycling exercise might may you feel better and more alert.
When doing research, it is a bit like being self-employed, as you have freedom to join and develop projects that you are really interested in.
A large part of my work is talking with students and other people I work with at the University, but also people in the local community and councils. This way, any research I do, will be relevant and hopefully solves a real world problem.
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Employer:
School of Sport, Exercise & Rehabilitation, Northumbria University, Newcastle.
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My Interview
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How would you describe yourself in 3 words?
roaming exercise scientist
What did you want to be after you left school?
a Doctor
If you weren't doing this job, what would you choose instead?
A travel writer, postal worker, park ranger or conservationist ... something outdoors.
Who is your favourite singer or band?
Elbow, and lots of music my Dad introduced me too (Fleetwood Mac, Queen etc.) - I denied liking it growing up, but I can admit I like it now.
What's your favourite food?
Bread
Tell us a joke.
What do you call a stressed out Tyrannosaurus? .... A nervous rex
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